Winter is almost here. The days are getting shorter, the mornings are darker and colder and it’s difficult to get excited about green salad and outdoor training sessions.

Unfortunately, the cold weather can lead to bad habits including comfort eating, missing your early morning training sessions, or just generally doing less incidental exercise.

The sunshine and warm weather is motivating but the plummeting temperatures in winter means healthy choices are harder to make.

Exercise

Is hitting the snooze button for 10 or 12 reps the only exercise that interests you on a cold winter morning? Try changing things up with one or all of the following:

Sleep in your workout gear. Yes it actually works. I have many clients who swear by it. It may sound a little kooky but it could mean the difference between hitting the floorboards, or hitting the snooze button.

Buy some new winter active wear. This is a simple but effective motivator. Everyone likes to show off their new gear at the gym.Consider something bright and brilliant to lift your mood and motivation.Feeling good in your active wear is half the battle.

Become a night owl. Do your training at night rather than first thing in the morning. You can head to the gym straight after work. This will help you to avoid the temptation of going home to sit on the couch in your PJs. The big bonus?You can sleep in on those super cold mornings.

Join a challenge or a program. This is a great way to meet like-minded people who can cheer you on and make training fun. Also the accountability is much higher when you are working towards a common goal. At Achieving You we have extra programs in winter to keep you motivated. Visit www.achievingyou.com.au for more details.

REMEMBER. Moving warms you up.Get out there and brave the cold. After a few minutes you will be warmed up and ready for a good session. You can reward yourself with a hot cup of tea and some couch time when you are done.

Eating

Comfort food can be healthy.Skip on the heavy carbs and choose slow cooked meals. You can add lots of garlic, ginger, turmeric and other herbs to ward off colds and flu. Click here to check out some of my favourite winter warmer recipes. Remember to keep a check on your portion sizes. This will help you to stay on track.